Claimed by the Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 4

I slowly stood up and turned around. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and dark jeans. He looked powerful and terrifying. He walked toward me, his boots clicking on the stone floor. He stopped right in front of me. He was so tall that I only came up to his chest.

The bond began to pull at me. It was an ache in my chest, a desperate need to touch him, to be near him. My wolf was whining, wanting to rub her head against his hand. I had to clench my fists to keep from reaching out.

Kael reached out, but not to be kind. He grabbed a lock of my hair and pulled my head back, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were cold, blue ice.

"You look like a drowned rat," he said, his voice full of scorn. "Is this what the moon thinks I deserve? A mate who spends her days scrubbing dirt?"

"The moon doesn't make mistakes," I said, my voice trembling.

Kael’s grip on my hair tightened. "The moon is a cruel joker, Elara. I have spent my life building this pack into the strongest force in the North. I have killed enemies with my bare hands. I have survived things you couldn't even imagine. And my reward is an Omega slave?"

He leaned in closer. I could feel his warm breath on my ear. It sent shivers down my spine, a mix of fear and a strange, unwanted heat.

"I can feel it," he whispered. "The bond. It’s like a parasite trying to get under my skin. It tells me to protect you. It tells me to take you to my bed."

He let out a growl that sounded like a wild animal. He let go of my hair so suddenly that I stumbled back against the tub.

"But I am stronger than the bond," he said, his eyes flashing. "I will not be a slave to a feeling. You will stay here. You will work until your fingers bleed. And you will never, ever think that you are my equal."

"I never said I was," I whispered, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. "But you can't stop the way you feel, Kael. I can see it in your eyes. You want me just as much as I want you."

Kael moved so fast I didn't see him. He pinned me against the wall, his large hands on either side of my head. He was so close I could see the tiny gold flecks in his blue eyes. The power coming off him was suffocating.

"Do not test me, little girl," he hissed. "You think you know what I want? I want a woman who can lead. I want a woman who has fire in her blood. You? You are just a flicker of light that I could blow out with one breath."

He looked down at my lips. For a second, just a tiny second, the coldness in his eyes flickered. His gaze softened, and his nostrils flared as he took in my scent—the scent of rain and sweet flowers that was unique to me. The bond was screaming at him, begging him to kiss me.

I held my breath. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might stop.

Then, the mask of the cruel Alpha slammed back into place. He pushed himself away from me as if I were made of poison.

"The Northern Pack is hosting a ball in three days," he said, his voice flat and cold again. "The other Alphas are coming to talk about the rogue attacks on our borders. You will be there."

I blinked. "Why? You said you wanted to hide me."

"You will be there as a servant," he said with a cruel smile. "You will serve the drinks. You will clean the spills. I want you to see what a real Luna looks like. I want you to see the women who are actually worthy of my time. Maybe then you will realize how truly pathetic you are."

He turned and walked toward the door.

"And Elara?" he said without looking back. "If you try to tell anyone about the bond at that party, I won't just punish you. I will exile you to the rogue lands. And we both know you wouldn't survive an hour there."

He left, and the room felt suddenly empty and cold.

I sank to the floor, my legs giving out. The weight of his hatred felt heavier than the wet blankets. He wanted to humiliate me. He wanted to show me off as a servant while he flirted with other women. He wanted to break the very soul out of my body.

*He is wrong,* my wolf said. Her voice was louder now, filling me with a strange warmth. *He sees an Omega. He does not see the Queen.*

I looked at my hands. The redness was fading, replaced by that faint, silver glow I had seen in the attic. It was gone as soon as I blinked, but I knew it was real.

I wasn't just an Omega. I was a Royal. My blood was older than this pack. It was older than Kael’s line. There was a power waking up inside me, something that had been hidden for years to keep me safe.

Kael Blackthorn thought he could use me to stay strong without giving me anything in return. He thought he could treat me like a dog and I would still wag my tail because of the bond.

He didn't know that a Royal Omega didn't just submit. A Royal Omega chose who she belonged to.

"You want to show me what a real Luna looks like?" I whispered to the empty room. "Fine. I’ll show you."

I stood up and went back to the blankets. I had a lot of work to do, and not just laundry. If I was going to survive this ball, if I was going to survive Kael, I needed to learn how to control the fire growing in my chest.

He was cruel, and the path ahead was full of thorns. But for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid.

I was Elara. And I was done being a victim.

I scrubbed the blankets until the sun went down and the moon rose high in the sky. I worked through the hunger and the pain. Because every bit of work was making me stronger. Every insult Kael threw at me was fuel for the fire.

He didn't want me? Fine.

I would make him want me so much it hurt. And then, I would make him earn me.